WaterSense Essentials
Appliances
WaterSense
makes sense...
appliances.
Water use and appliances
Dishwashers
The dishwasher is the highest consumer of water in the kitchen. Installing
a water efficient model will save you water and money.
Washing machines and
dishwashers represent
a significant portion of
water usage in an average
household. Reduce your
overall household usage by
using them efficiently and
by choosing water efficient
models when you make
your next purchase.
Before purchasing a new dishwasher, check the appliance for a WELS
(National Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme) label. The WELS
scheme labels products for water efficiency — the more stars, the more
water efficient the product.
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•
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Look for dishwashers that have a WELS Label. The best water rating
achieved by dishwashers is 6 stars.
Only use the dishwasher when you have a full load.
Use the rinse-hold setting on the dishwasher, if it has one, rather than
rinsing dishes under the tap.
Washing machines
Older and less efficient washing machines can use in excess of 160 litres per
cycle. Front-loading washing machines generally use much less water –
around half that of a top-loading machine.
•
Look for washing machines that have a four or more star rating (WELS
label).
•
•
Consider buying a water efficient front loading washing machine.
Check the water efficiency performance of any product before
buying.
Adjust the water level to suit the size of the wash load - some new
water efficient models will do this automatically.
Always try and wash with a full load each time.
If your machine has one, use the sud-saver option when you have
several loads to wash.
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TasWater
WaterSense Essentials
Appliances
WaterSense makes sense…
appliances.
Water and appliances
Could you cut back?
An older and less efficient top loader washing machine can
use around 150 litres for each wash, while front loading
models often use 50% less water for each cycle.
Cutting down the amount of times you run the washing
machine every week by making sure you have a full load
each time could result in significant savings on your water
bill.
That means if you do a load of washing once per day you
could be using a kilolitre of water each week if you have a
top loader, or half a kilolitre with a front loading machine.
In the kitchen, an average dishwasher uses approximately
24 litres per cycle. While modern dishwashers are often a
more efficient way to wash dishes than filling the sink, it is
still a good idea to make sure you have a full load for each
cycle.
For example, if you currently wash seven times a week,
reducing this to four cycles a week could save you $14 to
$25 a year, depending on what type of washing machine
you have.
Cycles per week
Cost per year*
14
10
7
4
1
$49.28 - $99.86
$35.10 - $71.14
$24.64 - $49.93
$14.04 - $28.46
$3.51 - $7.11
*Based on 2012-13 Water Usage Charge of 90c/kL.
WELS Ratings
WELS is Australia’s water efficiency labelling scheme. It allows
consumers to compare the water efficiency of different products.
The rating system has six stars. The more stars, the better the water
efficiency of the product. The labels also show a water consumption or
water flow figure.
As well as washing machines and dishwashers, WELS labelling is also
used on toilets, showers, tap equipment and flow controllers, helping
you make informed decisions when purchasing these products.
The WELS product search database allows prospective buyers to look
up all registered products. You can use this database to compare the
water consumption and water efficiency ratings of different WELSrated products. It is available at http://www.environment.gov.au/
wels_public/searchPublic.do
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